


Things Worth Celebrating

by magicianparrish



Series: Garrison Days [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Kerberos Mission, adam is a great teacher okay, adashi-freeform, and adam and shiro love the fuck outta each other, and doing mundane adult things, lots of cooking, some brief mentions of pot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 20:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17352143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianparrish/pseuds/magicianparrish
Summary: The night before, Adam and Takashi had emptied out their fridge. It had to be done anyway, but it gave them an excuse to finally do it. They made room for the giant shop they were going to be doing in order to prepare the food for tomorrow’s dinner. The Friday and Saturday before a dinner like this were always in a red zone. The hustle was real.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________or Adam and Shiro host a celebratory dinner for Adam's students who did really well in his classes. Some adulting happens. Shiro and Adam are in love. Matt and Pidge cause some chaos. It's all in good fun.





	Things Worth Celebrating

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been stuck in my head for months, and I finally got around to putting these thoughts into words onto a document. I just really love Adam and all the wasted potential that could have been with him. This is part of a series, but can also be read as a stand-alone. Hope you all enjoy it! 
> 
> This also was not beta'd or edited.

To: [xxxxxxxx@ggacademy.edu ](mailto:xxxxxxxx@ggacademy.edu)                                                                                                                                                                                         28/12/2114

From:  [ awali@ggacademy.edu ](mailto:awali@ggacademy.edu)

Subject: Welcome Back and Dinner Requests! 

 

Good Morning Students! 

 

I hope that you all have had a wonderful winter holiday, and let me be the first to welcome you to a new year back at the Garrison for another successful semester to put under your belts. As you are aware, if you are receiving this email this means you have scored a ninety-five or higher on my final exams given out last semester, and therefore as a reward for your successful endeavors in my classes, I wish to extend an invitation to join me for a celebration dinner at my home. This gathering and celebration will be happening on Saturday, January 2, 2115 at 1800 hours. I will give you the address if you are able to make it in a further email.  

If you wish to attend, please respond to this email as soon as possible; I request that if you do accept my invitation that you list a favorite dish of yours, as well as any food allergies you may have. Do not worry this information will stay confidential between you and me. I always found that dishes can remind you of home, and it can certainly bring people together. I myself will be making some dishes from my native country, Afghanistan, for you all to try. I am eager to learn and prepare yours as well to share for all in attendance. In the past students have found this to be a wonderful time, and I wish to continue the tradition and to keep your morale high as you continue your journey through the Academy. 

 

I do hope you will be able to join us. 

 

Best Regards,

A. Wali 

 

P.S. If any of you are allergic to cats please also list that in your RSVP; I will make sure to place my two in a room away from everyone if that is the case. 

 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

 

Adam looked at all the RSVPs he had gotten back from his students. He took a sip of his tea as he created a new folder for the gathering this year. He always kept his computer nice and neat, so he was able to find things easier when he needed them. Something he was still trying to teach Takashi. 

He labeled the folder Dinner Gathering 02/01/2115, and for fun, he even colored the folder red. Adam thoroughly enjoyed doing dinners like these, because it helped motivate his students to do well, and it gave him an excuse to cook food of all kinds. Everyone who he had invited had accepted, which was great. And no one was allergic or fearful of cats, which was also great. Sema and Kiku would not have to go into hiding for the night. 

Because Adam loved to be organized, he opened up a spreadsheet, labeling it Dishes To Cook for 02/01/2115. One positive about the Garrison was that it accepted applicants and students from all over the globe. There were a lot of international students who had traveled far, meaning that this time around he had dishes to prepare from nine countries, plus a few from his native home of Afghanistan, and to humor Takashi, Japan too. 

He quickly got to work on looking up the recipes to these dishes his students favored, hoping they would do them justice. Adam often did multiple sites to compare and contrast the ingredients that were required. What remained the same, and what differed slightly depending on who made them. From there he would tweak out his own style of the recipe and strike a balance. After he would copy these recipes into his own leatherback book he kept for himself. 

He was in the middle of doing research when a knocking on his door was heard. He looked up expecting to see a student, as this was his office hours and there was a quiz coming up tomorrow. But instead, it was Takashi leaning against it with a smile on his face. Adam returned it, gesturing for him to come in. 

Takashi pulled one of the seats in Adam’s office closer to behind the desk. He leaned his chin on Adam’s shoulder, as he continued to research recipes for a dish from Paraguay called Guiso Popó. 

“So is the turnout great this time?” Takashi asked. 

Adam nodded his head and typed one of the ingredients out into the spreadsheet. 

“Yes. All nine students accepted. We will be making a lot of food that is for sure,” Adam responded. 

He turned his head to look at his boyfriend who was reading the screen with interest. Though Takashi wasn’t good in the kitchen, Adam will be making one of his exceptions to recruit him for help. And then Takashi will probably enlist Matt Holt to help as well, and as a reward, as always will be given the leftovers to fight over with Katie. 

“The dishes all seem very interesting. A lot of them are meat based of some kind, so I think I’ll do a more vegetarian-friendly option for mine this go around. What would you like to be made?” 

Takashi pursed his lips together thinking about what he wanted to represent his home country. Though his family moved when he was younger, he still felt the pride of being Japanese. He wrapped his arms gently around Adam’s shoulders. He leaned in for a kiss on the cheek, which Adam allowed. 

“How about since New Year’s is just around the corner, we make Ozoni, and because you love me so, sweet peanut mochi?” The last part was a question filled with hope.

Adam quickly went through all the recipes to see if they would even have time to make it. He let out a sigh and looked down to Takashi’s gray eyes. “I guess we can squeeze it in. And look! Someone wants butter chicken!” 

That was Adam’s favorite. 

 

* * *

 

The night before, Adam and Takashi had emptied out their fridge. It had to be done anyway, but it gave them an excuse to finally do it. They made room for the giant shop they were going to be doing in order to prepare the food for tomorrow’s dinner. The Friday and Saturday before a dinner like this were always in a red zone. The hustle was real. Like Adam knew Takashi would, he got Matt to join them on their endeavor, and with Matt came his little sister, Katie, because Matt was on babysitting duty.

Matt waved when he saw them and practically skipped over through the parking lot. Katie was right behind him her hair in a messy ponytail and in a puffy winter coat. Though they lived in the desert, in the winter it still managed to get a little nippy outside. Adam himself was wearing a light black jacket. 

“Hey, guys! Thanks for inviting us!” Matt greeted. 

Adam watched Matt and Takashi do their elaborate handshake they had come up with as cadets. He glanced at Katie and they both shared a look of fond amusement at the two of them. He waved at Katie. 

“Hi Katie,” he greeted. 

She smiled and held out her fist for Adam, who bumped it. “Hey, Adam.” 

The handshake ended with Matt and Takashi doing a chest bump, which was comical in the sense of the sheer difference in size between the two of them. Takashi who liked to spend most of his time breathing at the gym had a considerable amount of muscle...everywhere. (Not that Adam would ever complain.) Matt was much more scrawny and preferred to work with his father in the computer labs and playing video games with Katie. 

The two of them then turned their attention to Adam, who was in charge of this whole weekend. He cleared his throat, while patrons of the supermarket ignored them to go on their merry ways. Takashi was bouncing on his toes to keep warm, his nose buried under his scarf. It always amused Adam how weak Takashi was for the cold, considering where he was from was the most northern island of Japan. Even his home in the United States, Seattle, it could get pretty chilly in the winter months. Same with Kandahar, though it rarely drops to freezing. 

Adam fished out of his bag three pieces of paper. He handed one to Takashi, and then the other for Matt, keeping the last one for himself. On these papers was the list he had created for all the things he would need to make the food for tomorrow night. There had been a lot of things, so he decided it would be best to split up and converge together at checkout. 

“The deal is we will all be getting the items on our lists I gave out separately. There is a lot here, so I thought it would make the time go faster. We will meet up at the front of the store when we are done. Sound like a plan?” he explained. 

Matt crushed his paper in his fist out of excitement. “Oh yeah. We’re gonna Supermarket Sweep this bitch!”  

“I’m telling mom you cursed when we get home,” Katie quipped. 

Matt deflated and glared down at his younger sister. “Do it and I snitch on your illegal radio you’ve been drafting and building.” 

Katie scoffed. “Yeah like that’ll do anything but impress them.” 

Adam found their squabbling amusing, and it reminded him of his little tiffs with his siblings too. Though he mostly just argued with Hakim and Rashida. He decided to step in before it got worse. 

He also did not know what Supermarket Sweep was but in the context of Matt saying, it didn’t sound too good. 

“Please do not make a mess of this place again. I’d rather not have to deal with angry managers this time around,” he asked. 

Takashi leaned up to peck a kiss to Adam’s cheek. “No worries. Katie will keep Matt here in check from not grabbing the middle can from a pyramid again.” 

“Literally one time you assholes! One time!” Matt turned around and pointed at Adam while walking backward towards the store. 

“And need I remind you, that can be your fault technically, Adam, for giving me that rice krispie edible, which I will admit was great, but still!” 

Takashi then ran up and covered Katie’s ears with his hands. She had a smirk on her face that said she was taking it all in, which was a little worrisome. Katie had an amazing memory. 

“Shhh! Matt, you can’t just say stuff like that in front of Katie. She remembers all,” Takashi chastised. 

Adam decided to play along. He walked up and smacked Matt in the shoulder. 

“Don’t expose me like this, Holt. Can’t have your sister knowing that I gave you drugs,” he hissed. “We are respected officers at the Garrison. I’m a teacher! She,” Adam pointed to Katie, “is my future student. She knows too much already.”  

“Well, at least it was just once!” Katie added, still obviously able to hear despite Takashi’s hands over her ears. She had a face-splitting grin.  

Matt looked at Adam and chuckled. He ruffled Katie’s hair. “Yeah, just that once.”

Adam quickly moved forward away from them and the conversation. He grabbed a cart for himself. The other two did as well. 

“I wish to finish this fast. I will see you all in a few,” Adam said before going his separate ways.   

Adam loved grocery shopping alone. It was a moment of peace and quiet for himself, and he found it cathartic. Takashi always insisted he wanted to come along, but honestly, he just caused more distraction. He followed his stomach signals almost all the time when he comes here, so Adam usually just sends him off separately with a list to follow so he doesn’t get distracted. 

He quickly checked off all his items on the list and put them in his shopping cart. He was the first to finish, which came as no surprise. He hoped Katie was reining in her brother. He wasn’t worried about Takashi. So as a treat to himself, he went over to the little café nestled near the produce area and got himself a cinnamon chai latte. 

 

**To: Takashi, Matt Holt**

I am finished, and over by the café, let me know when you are done and meet me there.

 

**From: Takashi**

Okay! I just have one more thing to grab, and I’ll be right over! 

 

**From: Matt Holt**

Almost done too! Sent Katie to get one of the items when she returns we will make our way over to you. 

Takashi returned first with his items in tow. He took the cup out of Adam’s hands and took a sip of his drink, not even knowing what was in there. He then made a face, sticking his tongue out dramatically. 

“Eck. Why do you love this stuff so much?” he protested. 

Adam took a long sip of his drink, allowing the spices to warm his body. He just arched an eyebrow at Takashi. 

“This is merely subpar to the real stuff. And you’d think you would have learned not to just take my stuff without knowing what’s in it already.” 

Takashi just shrugged his shoulders. “We both know that’s a lost cause.” 

Adam just hummed in agreement. Then they watched as both Holt siblings came swinging out of an aisle all the way down at the end of the store, sprinting past other customers in their way. Katie had taken the lead, as she was holding nothing while Matt had the shopping cart, but then Matt used his longer legs and stamina to take the lead away from his sister. When they arrived, Matt had to stop short, nearly toppling over into the cart panting like he had just run a marathon. Katie slammed right in behind, pushing Matt forward, eliciting a large groan of pain from him. 

Adam was shocked into silence.

Matt recovered and pushed Katie who stumbled and pushed back. 

“I win,” Matt declared.

“You had an unfair advantage,” she complained. 

“And what’s that Pidge?” The nickname that caused Katie to roll her eyes skyward. 

“You have hit puberty and I have not.” 

The answer was so surprising, a laugh came bubbling out of Adam’s mouth. He quickly covered it up. 

“I hope you two did not run anyone over,” Adam commented as he looked at the two siblings. 

“Nah, let’s pay and bounce outta here. We gotta be home before mom and dad,” Matt said waving his hand.   

 

* * *

 

Adam woke up five minutes before his alarm clock went off. To save him the trouble, he turned it off. The comforter of his bed kept him warm in the bedroom, with the added body heat of his boyfriend sleeping soundly next to him.

He almost felt bad about waking up Takashi so early, but they had a lot of food they needed to prepare before the dinner tonight, so his guilt washed away pretty quickly. He sat up and watched the bare torso of his boyfriend move up and down. Soft snores came out of his mouth as half his face was squished on his pillow. 

Adam laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and shook him. “Takashi, it’s time to wake up,” he coaxed quietly. 

It was still dark outside in the early morning. The horizon outside their window just barely turning a maroon as the sun slowly began its ascent into the sky. Takashi did not stir. Adam tried again, a little louder this time. All he got for his trouble was a soft groan. 

Adam let out a sigh. He leaned down, making sure his breath was close to Takashi’s face. He nuzzled his nose against the side of his neck, a sensitive spot for him. He watched Takashi’s face pinch together before a single gray eye opened blearily to glare at him. 

“What, Adam?” he asked. He sounded like his mouth was full of cotton. 

“We have a long day ahead of us. It’s time to get up and get ready.” 

A soft meow came, and then Adam felt the familiar weight join them on the bed. He turned his attention to Sema as she came trotting across the sheets. It was hard to see her gray fur in the dark, but her eyes were reflective. He held out his arms for his baby and she came to him with ease. Her silky hair and fluffy tail were soft to the touch. She nuzzled him in affection, loudly purring in her pleasure. She meowed again, loudly. Adam softly laughed. 

“See, even Sema wants you to get up,” he teased. 

Takashi just let out a grunt, his eyes closed once again. “Sema always agrees with you. Where’s Kiku when I need her?” 

Sema had decided she wanted to be on Adam’s shoulder, which he let her. It made him sit up. He ran a hand through Takashi’s soft hair. 

“Kiku is waiting for you to feed her. And my students who we are hosting tonight want us to feed them too. Come on, it’s time. Remember you agreed to this,” Adam pushed. 

“Yeah, well I’m having second thoughts. The sun’s not even up yet,” he argued. 

“You say this every time. You can sleep in tomorrow.” 

With that, he gently slapped Takashi’s chest, which caused him to yelp a little and glare. Adam just smiled before he got up to wash his face and hands, and do his morning prayers before heading into the kitchen. He held his arm out for Sema to crawl down before he put her on to the floor gently. 

Kiku came out of her hiding spot, her calico fur a stark contrast to the dimness of the house. She preferred Takashi, but she tolerated Adam’s presence. She meowed as well, and Adam quickly filled their bowls with food and water. Sema practically pranced to the bowl to eat, with Kiku right behind her, her bobtail shaking in pleasure. 

Adam turned on the lights to the living room and kitchen to give it a little more life. When he and Takashi had become more serious, they moved out of the directly on-campus residence and looked for a new apartment. The Garrison property was quite large enough that it had its own postcode, so even though they were a ten-minute walk to the main buildings, they were still on the property. It was safe to walk to and fro, therefore students would not have to worry about transportation costs. Adam had made sure that the apartment had a large kitchen and dining area. In turn, the bedrooms were smaller, but it was a compromise Adam was willing to take. 

He turned on the dock he had for music, that always had his player plugged in, and turned on his cooking playlist he had created. It was instrumental music that kept him calm and relaxed while he cooked. Takashi always felt he could use more upbeat songs that he could sing along to, but Adam preferred this.  And in the kitchen, his word was law. 

Adam opened up the fridge and freezer starting to take all the things they had bought yesterday and laid them on the large granite island they had. He turned on his coffee/hot water machine, getting a chai bag out of the jar his sister Rashida had sent over from home and brewed himself his first cup. He took out the pots and pans needed, made sure the stove and oven were working correctly and got to work. 

When Takashi came out, Adam was in the middle of his groove. When cooking large quantities of food, it always took him a little while to figure out his pattern and rhythm to follow. He had to think about which might take the longest, what needed to remain hot, what had to be refrigerated afterward, cleaning pots to reuse for other dishes, and making sure that he stored the completed ones in the tins they had bought and covered them in foil. He knew some of it was going to have to be reheated up by the time the dinner was served, but they had bought the mini dish fuels to keep them warm. 

He snuck a glance at Takashi who was now in a clean black t-shirt and sweatpants. A towel was being rubbed against his hair drying it, meaning he just came out of the shower. He tossed the towel on the back of a high chair, and Adam who was in the middle of making his famous green sauce pointed the spoon at him. 

“Hey! You know the rules, towels belong in the washroom, laundry basket or linen closet. Not in my kitchen,” he reminded. 

Takashi smiled and held his hands up. “Sorry, babe.” 

Then he took the towel and walked back down the hallway towards their bathroom to put it back where it belonged. He came back a moment later, with Kiku in his arms. Adam allowed for a quick peck on the lips as a greeting. 

“Good morning, smells great,” Takashi complimented. 

“Thank you. It will be a great banquet tonight to be certain.” 

He stopped stirring and took a sip of his now cold tea, but he would see it to the end. Takashi put Kiku down and she went off to do whatever it was she did around the house. Sema had tried to jump on the counters a few times now, and Adam had to banish her to a different room, much to her vocal protests. He apologized to her, but still did it anyway. 

“What can I do to help?” he asked. 

He gestured to the various pots and pans on the stove. “This dish needs to be stored into the tins. I think even you can manage that, right?” 

Takashi put a hand over his heart and pouted. “Do you really think so little of me?” 

“I would rather not lose our security deposit.” 

He just rolled his eyes and got the tins out from a cabinet. He laid them all out on the granite island. He came back over. 

“Which dish is this one?” 

There were multiple large pans containing food that smelled delicious. The air in the kitchen smelled spicy. He wondered how many heartburn pills he’d have to take tonight, and how hard Adam will laugh at him because of it. 

“That’s the buttered chicken. Also, I have place cards that need to be labeled. Can you write those out for me too?” 

“Of course.” 

Together they were able to get all the dishes done in an orderly fashion. They were all stored in tins and labeled properly. Adam had rushed to wash the dishes and put them away in the right places, while Takashi went to set the table clothes over the tables in their dining room. As they always did, they set up the dish heaters and were doing it buffet style, so the dining table would have enough room for everyone. 

Takashi wrote out all the labels in his neat handwriting, folding them over and placing them in front of each dish. Adam grabbed the cups, napkins, plates, bowls, utensils, and drinks they had bought and placed them at the beginning of the table of food. 

Takashi looked at his watch. “You still have an hour to shower and get ready.” 

Adam nodded his head. “Great.” With that, he ran into the washroom to get ready for dinner.      

 

* * *

 

The first knocking at the door came a half hour before the set time to begin. Which of course was not a problem. Some students came early, and others late every time they hosted these dinners.

Adam had lit candles that helped break the smell of spices from the kitchen, and form a more pleasant scent. It had been one of those large candles that Adam had gotten at the store in the mall. 

He went to the door and opened it, revealing one of his top students, Veronica. He smiled at her and she tucked a piece of her short hair behind her ear before adjusting her glasses. 

“Evening, Veronica. Welcome to our home,” he greeted. He opened the door wider and stood to the side so she could come in. 

“Hi, Professor. Thanks for having me,” she returned. 

Veronica took off her shoes, and Adam offered to take her coat from her. She gave it over to Adam who hung it over his arm. He gestured towards their living area that was empty. Sema came over to see what all the fuss was about. 

“You are more than welcome to lounge about until everyone else arrives.” 

Sema was sniffing Veronica with interest and then nuzzling her head against her leg. Veronica looked surprised at the cat and Adam chuckled. 

“This is Sema. She is the more friendly of the two. Kiku is around here somewhere, but please, relax in the meantime.” 

Veronica took his offer to sit in their living area, while Adam went into their guest bedroom to place the coat on the bed, away from everywhere else. He had no idea where Takashi went, but he knew he was around somewhere. 

Every few minutes the students would arrive at the door. Adam would greet them with a smile and offer to take their jackets for them, while they sat around and mingled with one another. 

He only offered this type of reward for students who took his more advanced classes. He did it because he felt that by passing these harder classes it was a better reward, and it was to also avoid the awkwardness of having twelve and thirteen-year-olds try to mingle with seventeen and eighteen-year-olds. The preteen/early teen stage of life was awkward enough, (he would know, and would rather forget about it all together. Thankfully having passed that stage of life years ago, it was relatively easier.) He usually treated his younger students to pizza in his classroom instead, at the end of the year. Which worked just as well. Pizza seemed to be the fastest way to a preteen’s heart he had discovered over his years of observations. 

Adam came out of the guest room dropping off the last coat, to see Takashi sitting on the carpet of their house talking to the students like they were his friends. His students all seemed to be hypnotized by his mere presence; Takashi was the Golden Boy of the Garrison, after all, breaking all the records that stood in his way at the young age of twenty-four. 

Kiku had taken a liking to Madison, as she was sitting in her lap. Madison did not seem to mind in the slightest and was stroking her back and playing with her bobtail as she listened to Takashi speak to all of them about his latest visit to the International Space Station. 

Adam cleared his throat, which broke the spell Takashi had unknowingly put on his students. When they turned to face him, their faces were still stuck in starstruck expressions. Adam let out a little chuckle. 

“I guess it would have been good to mention Commander Shirogane would be joining us,” he admitted. 

Josh sputtered from his seat, wildly gesturing with his arms at nothing in particular. His brown eyes were wide. 

“Uh, duh, Professor! You could’ve given a guy a warning that the biggest celebrity in the Garrison was going to be here!” he exclaimed. 

Adam put a hand on his waist and glanced over at his boyfriend to gauge his reaction. His eyebrows rose, and he looked surprised at the exclamation. Takashi was so smart, but he could be so oblivious to his own celebrity. He had plenty of modesty inside that body of his. Adam found it deeply amusing every time Takashi was reminded of the hero worship he had among cadets. 

Takashi snapped out of it and shook his head, a sheepish smile on his face. “Please, I’m just another commander. I was also a cadet like all of you once upon a time, so treat me like normal. In this house, you may call me Shiro.” 

Judging by the faces of his cadets, one would have thought they won the lottery. Adam shook his head good-naturedly. He clapped his hands together. The food was ready to be eaten. 

“Okay, everyone. I thank you for sending me your favorite dishes from home. Shiro and I worked very hard all day to make every one of them, so please, let’s enjoy the fruits of our labor.” 

He did not have to tell his students twice. They all got up at the same time and shuffled to the kitchen area where Adam had set up all the dishes. As the students chatted with one another while waiting in line, Takashi wrapped an arm around Adam. 

“It’s amazing the effect you have on these kids,” Takashi observed. 

Adam let out a laugh tilting his head down to look at Takashi in his gray eyes. “Me? How about you? They were all starstruck listening to you speak,” Adam returned. 

It was this time around Takashi laughed and rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t that bad,” he deflected. 

Adam leaned down and pecked him on the lips. He could feel the stares of the students but he didn’t care. He was in his own house, and he trusted these students to keep the gossip at least to a minimum. 

“You are humble to a fault,  _ jaanaana _ .” 

Takashi’s face broke out in that loving expression he got whenever Adam used that term of endearment on him. He had only worked up the courage to start using it recently, as he felt their relationship was not merely a fleeting romance, but one that was delving deeper.  

“Let’s see if those teens left any food for us now,” Adam said. 

Adam grabbed one of each dinner dish onto his plate and got himself some guava juice to go with it. Takashi mostly grabbed the least spicy of all the options, causing Adam to laugh and Takashi to mock glare. 

“Don’t mock me for my weakness to spice,” he jibed. 

Adam just shrugged his shoulders in mock innocence and went to join the rest at the dining table. He sat at the end, so he could see all his students. Takashi joined to the open seat at his right a moment later. 

He raised his cup to the air. “To a new and successful semester for everyone and a happy new year to all,” he toasted. 

Everyone followed suit with cheers before dinner commenced. Adam was personally very proud of all the dishes he made. They were all very delicious and filling. Chatter filled the room. Adam had taken his chance to tell some embarrassing stories about Takashi, just to make sure the cadets realized he was only human as well. He got a kick out of the laughter from the cadets and the red blush that covered Takashi’s face. 

Adam at one point even got up to grab a framed photo that was sitting on one of their mantles in their living room. Neither of them officially celebrated Christmas, but Takashi always loved the holiday spirit side of things, and Adam liked them enough. He was impartial to Christmas music though, but after hearing the same five songs a thousand times a day, he was ready for it to be over. 

“Shiro made us go to the local pet shop in Phlat City to get our photo taken with Santa with our cats,” Adam explained as he handed the photo to be passed around the table. 

In the photo, Takashi and he were wearing sweaters. Takashi in a red and white striped one, while Adam’s was forest green with little holly berries and poinsettias scattered around. There was a man dressed as Santa, and each of them was holding a cat. Sema decided she wanted to be on Adam’s shoulder to rest, which he allowed, while Kiku gladly cuddled into Takashi’s chest. They leaned in their heads close, smiling wide for the camera. Takashi even had on an elf ears hat covering his black hair, which Adam had put on his head as a joke, not expecting him to actually wear it. 

“This is so freaking cute!” Veronica cooed as she looked at the photo. She then whipped out her phone to take a photo of the photo in front of her. 

Adam merely raised his eyebrows and when Veronica caught wind started to explain. “My younger brother Lance, practically god worships Shiro. If he sees this photo he’s going to short circuit for sure.” 

“Does he attend the Academy as well?” Adam inquired. 

She shook her head. “Not yet. But he is going through the application process at the moment. I’ve been helping him see it through. He did pretty good on the flight simulators though.” 

The photo ended up back in his hands and he thanked Amy. Then he turned his attention back to Veronica. “Well, that is a good start. I do hope he gets in. I’d enjoy teaching another McClain sibling.” 

Veronica scoffed and waved her hand, but he could tell she appreciated the sentiment anyway. 

Takashi clapped his hands. “Well now that we’re done embarrassing me publically,” he said giving a pointed look at Adam. 

He just beamed back and shrugged his shoulders. Adam would not be shamed, it was practically his job at Takashi’s boyfriend after all. 

“I think it is high time to get some dessert to finish this off. And I would like to add another thing to celebrate.” 

Adam tilted his head to the side curiously. Takashi walked over and put his hands on Adam’s shoulders. 

“It is Professor Wali’s birthday today.” 

Adam sighed and let his head go into his hands. He did not enjoy drawing attention to himself, and he had hoped that having this dinner to celebrate his student’s achievements would overshadow it. But he should have known better. 

A cacophony of voices came after the announcement. 

“It’s your birthday today?” Amy shouted. 

“Why didn’t you tell us that, Professor!” Josh added. 

“Happy birthday Professor Wali!” Shannon exclaimed. 

Adam shook his head and gave a look to Takashi, who grinned unabashedly. He turned back to his students. 

“Thank you. But I did not share with you because this was a celebration of your achievements, not a celebration for myself for making it another year. But apparently, Shiro had other ideas, as usual.” 

“You bet I did. How could I be a good and loving boyfriend if I did not do something for your birthday huh?” 

Adam waved his hand away from Takashi. That just got a laugh from him. 

“I can see your thoughts about me getting you something extravagant. And if you think I did, then you don’t know me as well as I thought you did. I just had Matt and Katie's help to make your favorite dessert from home.” 

Adam turned to face his boyfriend. “You made Jalebi?” 

Takashi looked pleased with himself. He nodded his head. “While you were in your own world in the kitchen today and getting ready, I went to Matt’s place to cook some. Even I can’t mess that stuff up.” 

Adam felt a surge of warmth go through his body at the thought of Takashi making his favorite dessert. He got up and hugged him tightly. 

“Thank you,  _ jaanaana,” _ he whispered in Takashi’s ear.

“Anything for you,” he whispered back. “I hope you don’t mind, I didn’t use your recipe but one I found online. Mostly because I can’t read Pashto, and I didn’t want to ask you for a translation because I wanted it to be a surprise.” 

Adam softly laughed into the crook of Takashi’s neck. “That’s fine. I’ll love it either way because it came from you.” 

“Well that is definitely reassuring,” he said with a soft laugh of his own.

They released the hug and turned to the students who looked jubilant. Adam loved these moments, and he lived for them. It gave him a sense of community and doing his part to give back. His students have just as much of an impact on him as he does for them, and he would not trade these moments for anything else in the world. 

“I hope you all still have room, we have plenty of sweets to go around!” Adam said leading them all into the kitchen.    

**Author's Note:**

> There you have it. In this universe I have concocted, Adam's birthday is on January 2nd. Why? I have no idea, it just is. Also, he loves cooking and gathering recipes of all kinds. Did I do a whole lot of unnecessary research on recipes that I didn't even name in the fic for this? Also yes. 
> 
> I've had teachers in the past host students for dinners before (but really only in college), and they usually are a good time. I see Adam as more of a college professor type than an adolescent school teacher, though he does teach adolescent age kids. He's pretty chill before the break-up and Kerberos mission failure. 
> 
> I also just really enjoy writing Adam as a character that I've given my own life to, and his relationship with Shiro. The term jaanaana, translates to my beloved, my love in Pashto.
> 
> Also writing Matt and Pidge was a whole lot of fun because siblings are disasters in public together most of the time. 
> 
> And you can't tell me Shiro and Adam don't have cats, because they do. So the cat that is "Adam's" is a Turkish Angora, and the name Sema means sky in Turkish, and he named her that because she had blue eyes. Shiro's cat is a Japanese Bobtail, and the name Kiku means chrysanthemum in Japanese. Chrysanthemums have special meanings in Japan, so I thought it was cute. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed it! If you wanna read more about this universe, you can check out the other works in this series.


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